ENGINE is Turf Games’ hybrid endurance race, run separately from its team festival format. This edition opens the 2026 Gold Coast Summer Festival under lights on Friday 11 September 2026 at the Gold Coast Recreation Centre in Palm Beach, Queensland, with heats running from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The race is contested in pairs and combines running with ski erg, rowing machine and bike work plus equipment-based movements. The organizer states it takes between 45 and 65 minutes depending on fitness level, and pitches it as low-skill and open to any background — obstacle racing, running or functional fitness. Divisions are male pairs, female pairs and mixed pairs, with age categories of 16 to 29, 30 to 40 and 41-plus based on the average age of the two partners. The minimum age is 16. Entry is fully open with no qualifier and no invite division.
Entry is AUD $190 per pair plus platform fees through Circle21, and includes weekend spectator access to the Gold Coast Summer Festival plus a Turf ENGINE athlete patch, so competitors do not need to buy a separate festival ticket. Spectators watching only the Friday evening need the free adult Friday spectator ticket from the festival ticket page; a free child weekend ticket covers the Friday as well. Category winners receive a partner prize pack and podium recognition; a cash prize for Gold Coast ENGINE specifically is not published. Dogs are not allowed inside the venue.
Turf Games is a team-based functional fitness competition series that started in London in 2018 and now runs festivals in the UK, Australia, Singapore and the UAE. Its festival format is contested by teams — mixed teams of six, three male and three female, or single-sex teams of four — who complete four to six scored workouts inside an assigned morning or afternoon session, across three ability divisions: Everyday, Intermediate and Elite. The series also runs ENGINE, a separate hybrid endurance race for pairs, individuals or teams of three, combining running with ski erg, rowing machine and bike work, alongside a Fittest in the City season format and open training days at partner gyms. Entry is open registration with no qualifier at any level. The founder and Head of Events is Andrew Manteit, and the brand states it draws more than 50,000 athletes and spectators annually. Registration and ticketing run on Circle21.
